On the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's neck, there were red bloodstains, already dried on the neck, showing that they had been there for a long time.
Not only that, near the bed on the wall, many words appeared.
Die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die—
Countless 'die' characters intertwined on the wall, some bloodstains splattered, like the blooming flowers of hell, appearing extremely sinister and terrifying, as if invoking a curse.
"What on earth is going on? Didn't you guarantee last night that nothing would go wrong?"
After extreme panic, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's eyes became frightening, glaring at the ninjas kneeling before him, gnashing his teeth, his face turning livid.
"This... This..."
The head ninja broke into a cold sweat, not knowing how to explain.
In fact, he was also panicking.
This kind of thing should be impossible.
As the head guard ninja of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, not to mention his strength reaching Jonin Level, he himself was also a Perception Ninja.
It's impossible for someone to bypass his perception, approaching the Daimyo of the Land of Wind silently, even using such a method to terrify him.
Yet the development of the situation had already exceeded his expectations.
His Perception Ninjutsu last night did not sense anyone approaching, could the enemy's infiltration ability surpass his Perception Ninjutsu?
How could this be possible? It must just be a coincidence.
"You guys have truly disappointed me, letting the enemy succeed time and again, climbing over my head to act recklessly. Half a month's salary will be deducted, no complaints?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind tried to suppress the anger in his heart, making his tone even.
"Our deepest apologies, Daimyo-sama! We won't let the enemy succeed next time!"
The head ninja bowed deeply, intimidated by the Daimyo's authority, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Humph, I hope so, now leave."
"Yes."
The head ninja disappeared with the others from the spot, continuing to guard discreetly, ensuring the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's safety.
Each of them, all worthless. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind felt even more dissatisfied.
He was thoroughly disappointed by the capabilities of these ninja guards, it seemed necessary for Hidden Sand Village to train better ninjas to serve as guards here.
After calming his internal rage, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind was about to get out of bed and dress, go out to bathe, wash away the bloodstains.
Suddenly, his finger touched something on the bed frame.
It was a piece of paper.
On it was written two striking words—Repay Money.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind's face sank so much he couldn't utter a single word, he directly crumpled the paper in his hand forcefully, tossed it on the ground, and stomped on it several times with his bare feet, making the wooden floor thud, venting his long-pent-up anger.
...
The daytime swiftly passed.
Everyone in the Daimyo's Mansion, including guards and maids, spent the day in a strange atmosphere.
Regarding the events that befell the Daimyo, they didn't know much, even if they did, they dared not say much.
As night fell, for some reason, seeing the darkness of night caused the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to inexplicably fear, instinctively touching his neck, finding everything normal, he exhaled slightly in relief.
The ninjas from Hidden Sand Village were already on their way, just need to endure through tonight and everything would be calm tomorrow.
After all, unlike his mansion's ninjas, the ninjas from Hidden Sand Village were far more formidable, countless Jonin. Just dispatching a part of them would be sufficient to protect his life, along with clearing the 'rats' infiltrating the Daimyo's Mansion.
Once these hateful 'rats' are found, they'll definitely be torn apart, only then will his anger subside.
Having thought over these pleasant scenarios, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's fury eased significantly.
Tonight, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind didn't plan to sleep in his bedroom, but found a vacant house, ordering the maids to set up bedding in the center.
Around the bedding, sixteen ninjas sat cross-legged on the floor, their backs turned, sharp eyes cautiously scanning every nook and cranny of the house, leaving no stone unturned.
Not only on the floor, but a dozen ninjas were also stationed above the beams, so not even a rat, even if a mosquito were to fly in, would escape their sight.
To avoid disruptions like the previous two nights, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind gathered more than half the ninja guards in the mansion here, doubling the usual guard strength.
Theoretically, there should be no more worry about safety.
The only concern would be the enemy's infiltration ability that couldn't be detected by Perception Ninjutsu.
As long as the enemy's infiltration ability loses its effect, it's impossible for the opponent to approach silently.
The enemy couldn't possibly come in invisible.
Even if invisibility was achieved, it would not be possible to move without a single trace.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind looked around at the sixteen ninja guards, backs turned, scanning the outer circle, investigating enemy presence.
And the dozen ninjas on the beams also meticulously patrolled the surroundings, leaving no corner unchecked.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind nodded silently, finally able to sleep peacefully tonight.
◎
"Move quickly, must reach the Daimyo's Mansion before dawn!"
The desert in the night, under the moonlight, the sand as fine and white as snow, blown by the fierce wind, making it hard for one to keep their eyes open.
For ordinary people, this might be troublesome, but for ninjas who often operate in extreme conditions, this harsh climate is not worth mentioning.